PINE GROVE — With a sore knee, Nick Behm usually doesn’t run for himself when he reaches base.
So when the Schuylkill Haven senior took off from first base and started chugging around the bases on Blayne Moyer’s rocket to the right-center field gap in the 11th inning, the Hurricanes’ dugout and their fans held their collective breaths he’d make it home.
“I don’t run that much,” Behm said. “I’m not used to more than jogging to first base when I get a walk.
“My left knee, I’ve been having problems with it. It pinched when I rounded second base, so I started slowing down a little bit. It felt like I was running for 20 minutes between third and home.
“I never saw the ball. I saw Coach (Dennis) Siket waving me home, so I just kept going and hoped for the best.”
Gimpy knee and all, Behm made it all the way around, scoring the only run of the game to give Schuylkill Haven a dramatic 1-0 victory over MaST Charter in a PIAA Class AA first-round game Wednesday at Stump Stadium.
The win advances the District 11 champion Hurricanes (21-3) to today’s quarterfinals, where they will play District 4 champ and two-time defending statechampion Loyalsock at 4:30 p.m. at Central Columbia High School.
“He hasn’t run that far, that fast, in six months,” Schuylkill Haven coach Scott Buffington said. “Watching him come around the bases .... ‘Don’t fall Nick. Keep running. Keep your hands moving. Keep running, keep running, keep running.’
“Fortunately, he scored. Blayne Moyer came up with the big hit.”
Moyer’s 11th-inning heroics capped a game that eerily resembled Schuylkill Haven’s 2-1, 12-inning victory over Salisbury in the District 11 Class AA semifinals May 23 in Pottsville.
The Hurricanes and District 12 runner-up Panthers (16-9) battled each other through 10 scoreless innings. MaST had four hits, while Haven had five.
Like he did against Salisbury, Behm dominated on the hill.
The Seton Hill-bound right-hander allowed just four singles, walked one and struck out 12 in a 110-pitch effort, allowing just two runners to reach second base.
Through 81 innings this season, Behm has 120 strikeouts and a 1.21 earned run average. In his last two outings, he threw a pair of nine-inning shutouts, and ended up with a no-decision each time.
“He was very consistent, and he has been,” Buffington said. “He’s around the strike zone with all his pitches. It’s enjoyable to watch him go out there and work.
“We’ve come to expect that, and you’re surprised if you don’t get that. And against quality hitters.”
Behm’s counterpart, MaST Charter senior right-hander Bryan Kaelin, was equally impressive through nine innings, allowing five hits, walking four and striking out five.
Haven had a chance to win it in the seventh, getting runners on second and third with two outs, but didn’t score.
The Hurricanes then had a golden chance to win the game in the ninth, when Ryan Fink had a leadoff single, stole second and took third on a sacrifice bunt by Noah Saul.
MaST Charter skipper Derrick Savage opted to walk Behm and Moyer to load the bases to set up the force at home. The move paid off when Mike Ulsh grounded into a force play at the plate and pinch-hitter Boston Cook struck out.
“Offense? Was there any?” Buffington joked. “Just enough.
“How often in a high school game do you see somebody intentionally walk people back to back to load the bases? It worked out for them.”
Danny Blugis relieved Behm to start the 10th and retired all six batters he faced, five by strikeout.
In the bottom of the 11th, MaST reliever Ryan Conner got the first two outs before Behm ripped a single down the left-field line.
With Behm no longer the pitcher, Haven couldn’t use a courtesy runner for him like they did when he reached base in the fifth, seventh and ninth innings.
Three pitches later, Moyer found a fastball he liked and stroked it to the right-center gap.
“I was just looking for a pitch that was around the plate, hoping to get a base hit,” Moyer said. “It was basically down the middle, a little inside. I was able to turn on it.”
Behm came all the way around to score, setting off a wild celebration.
“It felt amazing. It’s great that Blayne got the opportunity to do that,” Behm said.
“We just never quit. We were on our backs when we played Salisbury ... the same thing happened today.
“We have so much trust in all the players, all the pitchers that we have. We know that every time we’re going to get the job done.”
Game Summary
PIAA Class AA First Round
At Stump Stadium, Pine Grove
MaST CHARTER (0) — Carter ss 5 0 1 0, Lawson c 4 0 0 0, B. Kaelin p-3b 4 0 1 0, Vazquez cr 0 0 0 0, T. Kaelin 1b 3 0 0 0, Kaupp pr 0 0 0 0, Deichman rf 0 0 0 0, Mundy dh 4 0 0 0, Conner lf-p 4 0 0 0, G. Wenclawiak 3b-lf 4 0 1 0, K. Wenclawiak 2b 4 0 1 0, Henehan cf 3 0 0 0. Totals 35 0 4 0.
SCHUYLKILL HAVEN (1) — Webb cf 5 0 1 0, Blugis c-p 5 0 1 0, Fink 2b 4 0 1 0, Saul lf-c 3 0 0 0, Behm p 3 1 2 0, Handling cr 0 0 0 0, Br. Moyer lf 0 0 0 0, Conage 3b 0 0 0 0, Bl. Moyer dh 3 0 1 1, Ulsh ss 4 0 0 0, Fryer 1b 3 0 1 0, Cook ph 1 0 0 0, Browne rf 4 0 0 0. Totals 00 0 00 0.
MaST (16-9) 000 000 000 00 — 0
SH (21-3) 000 000 000 01 — 1
Two outs when winning run scored.
E — None. DP — None. LOB — MaST Charter 5, Schuylkill Haven 8. 2B — Bl. Moyer. SB — Fink. CS — Blugis. S — Lawson, Henehan, Saul 2, Bl. Moyer.
MaST IP H R ER BB K
B.Kaelin 9 5 0 0 4 5
Conner L,5-5 1.2 2 1 1 0 1
Haven IP H R ER BB K
Behm 9 4 0 0 1 12
Blugis W,3-0 2 0 0 0 0 5
T — 2:26.